Creating an employee-friendly workplace

Businesses are slowly beginning to understand that the performance of their employees is closely related to their treatment of those employees.

If you don’t create a worker-friendly environment, it’ll be no surprise if they fail to reach their full potential. But, as with most things, you get what you put in.

Part of the reason for the ‘quiet quitting’ epidemic is that employees are effectively bled dry by their employers. So make sure you don’t fall into that trap.

This blog will look at helpful tips to help create an environment that pushes your staff to do their best work. 

Hire well

It all begins with your hiring process. If you’re bringing onboard the wrong people, you will inevitably struggle to have a team that pushes your company forward.

Some employees won’t be the right fit for your business.

Finding the right employee for your operation means doing more than looking at their resume to see their experience.

It’s about ensuring they’ll buy into the general ethos of the company. If you’re generally unimpressed by your team, then it’ll be worthwhile reviewing your hiring process. 

Successful onboarding

If there’s one mistake that employees make, it’s hiring people and then just expecting them to do their job well.

They could have all the talent in the world but remember — a new staff member is just a seed of possibility.

You’ll need to nurture that talent to get the most from them. And that all begins with the onboarding process.

This will essentially ensure that they’re able to get up and running as soon and as well as possible.

Again, there is software that can help to manage this task for you. 

Good leadership

It’s easy for people in management positions to fall into the ego trap. They begin to treat their staff as subjects.

You can see why they do that, but that doesn’t make it right — indeed, a manager can have a significantly negative impact on their business if they lack the essential leadership skills that help them to do their job well.

Good leadership can take many shapes. It’s a good idea to send people in authoritative positions on leadership courses, giving them the tools they need to lead the company, not just manage it. 

Providing the tools

Nothing is as frustrating as knowing what you want to do but not having the tools to do it. Good employees want to deliver their best work.

You should put a framework in place that allows them to do it. The simplest way is to ask your team what they need to do their best work and ensure they have it.

Meeting spaces 

Studies are pretty clear about the need for a sense of camaraderie in the office.

They show that people with friends in the office tend to perform much better and be much happier than those who don’t.

There can be real benefits to both the worker and the company as a whole. It’s best not to assume that your employees will get to know one another.

They might, but the truth is that some offices just aren’t set up all that well for this. So make sure it does happen.

You can add a social space to your office, and it’s also a good idea to organize some employee get-togethers outside of work, so people can get to know one another in a more relaxed environment. 

Invest in their future

Employees are asking more from their jobs than simply a paycheck.

That’s important, of course, but it’s not the only thing they’re looking for. They also want to know that they’re going somewhere in their career.

That’s the view of the most ambitious workers, in any case, which is the category of candidate you should be looking to bring on board.

In addition, you can help to boost employee satisfaction by investing in their learning and development.

This isn’t just beneficial to the employee; it’ll also reduce employee turnover and give you access to better-skilled workers. 

Flexible working

People don’t like to feel like they’re always living Groundhog Day.

They want to mix things up from time and time. One of the best gifts you can give your team is the ability to work when and where they want.

You might need them to be in the office at specific times on occasion, but if there’s a way to let them work from home during hours that suit them, then why not?

Studies show that productivity increases when employees have this option, too. 

Giving trust 

You could take all the tips in this article onboard, but if you’re not showing that you trust your employees, then there’ll only be so far you can go.

Employees don’t like to feel like they’re being watched all the time or that their manager doesn’t trust them to deliver high-quality work.

It’s one of those seemingly minor issues that can dent a worker’s experience of working for the company.

The solution? Give trust. This doesn’t always come naturally to people, but it’s worthwhile looking at ways to learn how to do it. It’ll pay off. 

Perks of the job

We mentioned earlier how employees aren’t only looking for a paycheck from their employers.

If you ask people to ‘join your family,’ you’ll need to show some commitment to that position. One way to do this is to offer perks.

These are small ways to show your employers that you care about them. There’s no shortage of perks you can offer.

You might offer food and coffee at work, give bonuses, send gifts to remote workers, or anything else. Of course, if you’re unsure what your team will like, you could always ask them directly. 

Create the space

An office is not just an office. It’s more than a place to do work.

Or, at least, it shouldn’t just be a place to work. There’s a lot of value in creating a space that’s homey, inviting, and all-around pleasant to be in.

After all, our surroundings do mirror our experience. If you’ve got a dark and uninspiring office, you can’t suddenly expect your team to be eternally happy.

So take another look at your office. What type of mood does it put you in? Are there ways that you can improve it?

Work/life balance

You don’t need to read the newspaper reports that employees are beginning to feel burned out.

For example, you can see it just by walking around commercial districts. You may have seen it in your own office.

People have had to go through a lot over the past few years, making it difficult to carry on at the office like everything is fine. People need a bit of a break.

You can show that you care about your employees — and really improve the office atmosphere — by offering a better work/life balance for your staff. It’s something that they’ll very much appreciate.

Plus, it’ll also help your business. People produce higher quality work when they’re not continually battling tiredness. 

Open doors 

Even if you do your best to make an employee-friendly environment, you’ll inevitably face issues at some point or another. Unfortunately, you can’t avoid all problems.

But what you can do is ensure that you’re always willing to resolve issues as and when they occur.

One way to do this is to have an open-door policy at your workplace, which means an employee can come to see you whenever there’s an issue.

Letting your team know they can always come to you is a form of psychological safety that can go a long way. 

A positive attitude

The company’s leader sets the tone for the rest of the employees. If a manager is stressed and negative, then it’s unlikely that the staff will be different.

You can help to create a great workplace simply by bringing a positive attitude to work. You’ll be surprised at how far a positive attitude can go.

It can be the difference between succumbing to pressure and thriving in it. But, of course, there will always be things that go wrong.

You can’t control that. What you can control is how you respond to those negative points. Plus, being positive costs nothing.

Continue your development 

You might be in the most senior position at your company, but that doesn’t mean you’re the finished article. You’ll have weaknesses and flaws just like everyone else.

As such, it’s worthwhile working on continuing to develop your skills. Aside from making you better at your job, you’ll find that you can also better manage your employees.

It’s a form of self-investment that can help to take you to the next level. 

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